People sure are strange (CREDIT: John Armour/Lionsgate)
Starring: Madelaine Petsch, Gabriel Basso, Ema Horvath, Richard Brake
Director: Renny Harlin
Running Time: 91 Minutes
Rating: R for Plenty of Stabbing
Release Date: February 6, 2026 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: After surviving the mask-wearing, knife-wielding serial killers who murdered her boyfriend, and then surviving them even more, Madelaine Petsch’s Maya is still doing her best to survive them for just a little while longer. She has some concerned family members in her corner who are trying to find her within the forests of Venus, Oregon, but they’re being stonewalled by the locals who are deathly afraid of bucking the status quo. Meanwhile, Sheriff Rotter (Richard Brake) is putting his boot down even harder than usual before this spree gets completely out of hand, which might just mean protecting the killers more than the victims. And as we approach the endgame of this trilogy, the Strangers could just become a little more familiar.
What Made an Impression?: Lack of Compression: When I saw The Strangers: Chapter 1 two years ago, I thought it was going to be a prequel to the original Strangers with Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman, only to discover that it was actually the beginning of a wholly new trilogy. So then when I saw Chapter 2 last fall, I knew what I was in for, but I couldn’t help but wonder what was taking so long. So should this all have been just one movie? Well, Chapter 3 is definitely the strongest outing, and the events of the first two chapters could’ve easily been edited down to just a prologue for this finale without losing much. However, while I would argue that these three flicks probably would’ve worked better as a single release, I don’t hate the ambition. But yeah, there was a lot of unnecessary dillying and dallying.
Trying on the Mask of Darkness: When the only way out is through, what compromises do you have to make? As reputedly the only ever survivor of the titular killers’ reign of terror, Maya becomes a bit of an object of fascination. There are some hints of latter-day Hannibal vibes, wherein Maya is invited to wield the knife much the same way that Clarice Starling found herself inexplicably seduced by Dr. Lecter. The Strangers – Chapter 3 team doesn’t quite have the nerve to go fully twisted in this regard, but I appreciate the flirtation with something somewhat transgressive.
A Little Bit of Catharsis: The conclusion of this movie hinges on a reveal that is so obvious that I can’t believe it’s actually meant as a twist ending. But I don’t hate that that moment doesn’t exactly mean much. After all, Maya is finally able to take control and after the hell she’s been through, she deserves a break and a modicum of autonomy. So do we.
The Strangers – Chapter 3 is Recommended If You: At the very least just want it to be better than Chapters 1 and 2
Grade: 2.5 out of 5 Unmaskings
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